KOTA KINABALU: Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan has denied claims in a viral video that he was conspiring against Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor in the alleged corruption scandal implicating several Sabah assemblymen.
The Deputy Chief Minister and Sabah STAR president said he and his party fully backed Hajiji to be Chief Minister after the 2020 state election, and their support has not wavered despite various challenges.
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“No such conspiracy (as claimed in the video) exists or has ever existed,” he said in a statement on Friday (Dec 13).
“The accusation is categorically false, misleading, and politically motivated.
“I believe it is aimed to divide us and Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) and Sabahans going into the state elections (due next year),” Kitingan said, adding that efforts to drive a wedge between the state government's components would not succeed.
The clip, just over a minute long, made the rounds on social media recently and claimed Kitingan was behind the spread of a host of videos implicating Sabah assemblymen in a mineral prospecting licence scandal.
The clip also included text messages that alleged Kitingan was undermining the state leadership.
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The Sabah STAR president said the referenced screenshot of a text message, supposedly from Nov 1, took a fragment of a conversation entirely out of context to falsely support the accusation.
He said the allegations appeared timed to coincide with recent unfounded accusations against the Sabah government, with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) also investigating the matter.
“I trust the authorities will reveal the truth in due course.
“I remain firmly committed to fostering unity, political stability and the continued development of Sabah.
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“Any attempt to drive a wedge between leaders working toward a better Sabah will not succeed,” he said.
Kitingan urged the people to be vigilant against misinformation and not to fall victim to malicious narratives intended to destabilise the state government.
“I will continue to focus on serving the people of Sabah with integrity and transparency,” he said.
